My First IEM
Jan 7, 2012 at 7:59 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 10
Vaibhav

Vaibhav

New Head-Fier
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Dec 20, 2011
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I recently purchased a pair of Klipsch Image S4i that I use with my iPod Touch everyday to listen to music. I loved them the instant I put them on, which is quite expected given the fact that my previous headphones were the stock Apple buds and a Sony EX50 LP
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I have burned them in for ~60 hours and can tell a subtle difference in the bass being a bit more tame. I am no audiophile by any means but just a kid who wants his music to sound better. Coming to music I listen to rock and metal (led zep, pink floyd, metallica, black sabbath, megadeth, iron maiden, rhcp etc) mostly and also the occasional pop. I would love to push these to their absolute best. I saved up for these from scratch as my parents think anything above $20 for headphones is outrageous, maybe they need to have a look here at Head-fi
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. All/most of my music is 320kbps mp3 and I did download some in flac and converted to apple lossless but I honestly didn't hear much difference (maybe because I played it on my iPod?)
So I'm wondering what the next step is for me to get the best outta these? I'm saving up again and hope to spend it on something pretty awesome!
Thanks!
 
Jan 7, 2012 at 8:49 PM Post #2 of 10
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Jan 7, 2012 at 10:13 PM Post #3 of 10
The JVC FXT90, Sony EX600, Sennheiser IE8, UE TF10Pro willbe next big step.
 
Jan 9, 2012 at 9:14 PM Post #6 of 10


Quote:
vaibhav said:
 
 
much appreciated, will look into those. But i was wondering how i can improve the sound through the S4s, i mean i have just a source, an iPod touch, how do i get better sound? an amp?
 
 
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I'm no expert on IEMs or Amping so don't take my word, but I also own the S4's and love them to death as my first IEM, definitely the best quality you can get for that money, I'd say they sound way better than they cost for sure. Anyways, as far as I know, a lower end IEM such as this really wouldn't get much out of amping them, just like amping my ATH-M50s really wouldn't have a significant increase. Basically they sound great but they already reach their OHM potential without any extra power source.
 
Another reason you may not have noticed a difference between the mp3s and the apple lossless is just because of the IEMs themselves, while they are great and I love to listen to them, you really don't hear huge differences between true 320s and FLACs in lower end devices such as these, I have a few albums in FLAC and 320 MP3 and using my ATH-M50 cans, I can hear only a slight difference, really just a slightly tigher bass and the mids and highs are a little more crisp.
 
Really wouldn't be concerned with amping an IEM this low on the audiophile spectrum, once again, love them a lot but not worth amping I don't think.
 
The only way I can suggest getting a better sound is buying the comply foam tips for them, they give you a fantastic seal, so you can listen at a lower volume keeping your ears healthy without hearing any outside sound whatsoever, the perfect seal from the foam tips will also give you quite a boost in sound quality, pushes the bass to full capacity but keeps everything else crisp and smooth.

Hope I helped!
 
 
Jan 12, 2012 at 10:42 AM Post #8 of 10


Quote:
e2pathos said:
I'm no expert on IEMs or Amping so don't take my word, but I also own the S4's and love them to death as my first IEM, definitely the best quality you can get for that money, I'd say they sound way better than they cost for sure. Anyways, as far as I know, a lower end IEM such as this really wouldn't get much out of amping them, just like amping my ATH-M50s really wouldn't have a significant increase. Basically they sound great but they already reach their OHM potential without any extra power source.
 
Another reason you may not have noticed a difference between the mp3s and the apple lossless is just because of the IEMs themselves, while they are great and I love to listen to them, you really don't hear huge differences between true 320s and FLACs in lower end devices such as these, I have a few albums in FLAC and 320 MP3 and using my ATH-M50 cans, I can hear only a slight difference, really just a slightly tigher bass and the mids and highs are a little more crisp.
 
Really wouldn't be concerned with amping an IEM this low on the audiophile spectrum, once again, love them a lot but not worth amping I don't think.
 
The only way I can suggest getting a better sound is buying the comply foam tips for them, they give you a fantastic seal, so you can listen at a lower volume keeping your ears healthy without hearing any outside sound whatsoever, the perfect seal from the foam tips will also give you quite a boost in sound quality, pushes the bass to full capacity but keeps everything else crisp and smooth.

Hope I helped!
 
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yes that was really helpful. i'll try and find them asap though these oval gels aren't really all that bad. i'll make sure my next buy is something that has better sound quality, these are great iems for a first buy or budding audiophile :)

 
Quote:
scottparker said:
I prefer ex1000, w4, ie8, if possible, go er4
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yeah mate, will look into those, thanks :)
 
 
Jan 12, 2012 at 11:05 AM Post #9 of 10
A wise man once said
 
Quote:
I am also of the belief that audio differences between different players take a back seat in the audio chain, the chain being (in order of importance): Headphones > Source Material > Source > Amplification >>> Cabling.
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which I very much agree with. Start with these threads...
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-214-iems-compared-jvc-ha-fxt90-and-ha-fx500-added-1-8-12
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/541204/concise-multi-iem-comparison-hifiman-re-272-added-dec-27th-2011
 
http://anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15243
 
Do you have a budget in mind? Head-fi is not a wallet friendly place.
 
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